Johnson Beats the Buzzer, Twice, to Lift the Nets

Joe Johnson (7) after hitting his game-winning jumper — his second buzzer-beating shot against the Bucks on Tuesday.Credit
Jason Szenes for The New York Times

As energy sources go, Joe Johnson is fantastically deceptive, all sleepy eyes and shrugs and coy smiles, without a single signature exclamation in his emotional arsenal. There is nothing particularly electric about him, until the game is on the line and the seconds are ticking away and the ball is in his hands.

In those tense moments of desperation, Johnson is a virtual power station, capable of sending a massive jolt through the atmosphere and thousands of fans into happy delirium with a casual flick of the wrist.

Johnson did it twice Tuesday night, sinking a jumper that forced overtime and another at the final buzzer to deliver a thrilling 113-111 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at Barclays Center, where a crowd announced at 17,334 was left breathless.

It was Johnson’s fourth game-winning shot of the season, following decisive baskets against Detroit, Washington and the Knicks. The Nets, who acquired Johnson from Atlanta last July, are getting used to the thrills.

The score was tied at 111-111 with 5.2 seconds left when the Nets inbounded the ball. Johnson sized up Luc Mbah a Moute, one of the N.B.A.’s better defenders, at the top of the key, crossed over to his left and flung a 17-footer while fading to his left. The ball swished just as time expired.

“It’s what he’s been doing his entire career,” Carlesimo said.

The usually reserved Johnson roared as he jogged back up the court and was mobbed by his teammates on the bench while, a few feet away, an appreciative Jay-Z — the music mogul and Nets part-owner — applauded with a look of relief.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling, man,” said Johnson, who finished with 24 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. “Regardless of the situation, whether it’s the regular season or the playoffs, it’s always a great feeling, just to see everybody kind of explode and the excitement in the building, is probably the best feeling.”

The victory was the Nets’ third in a row, and it made for a promising start to this post-All-Star-Game section of the schedule. The Nets (32-22) also ended a 13-game losing streak to the Bucks (26-26) that stretched back to 2009, including two losses earlier this season.

The teams meet again Wednesday night in Milwaukee to close the season series.

The Nets were fortunate to make it to overtime. They never could contain Brandon Jennings, who scorched them for 34 points. They blew a 10-point lead in the second half. They had trouble making plays down the stretch of regulation. And they were hit one costly and controversial call, an offensive foul on Deron Williams with 7.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Nets trailing by 1 point.

But Johnson saved the game, hitting a 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left to tie the game at 105-105. Jennings missed a long heave at the buzzer, forcing overtime.

Williams made an encouraging return to the lineup after taking two games off last week to get treatment on his tendinitis-stricken ankles. Though he could not contain Jennings (and no one could), Williams looked spry and aggressive, finishing with 19 points and 9 assists in 44 minutes 36 seconds.

Lopez, who made his All-Star debut Sunday, looked as if he had an All-Star hangover, going 6 for 17 from the field and 0 for 4 in overtime, though he did finish with 19 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Lopez was benched for nearly the entire fourth quarter, as Carlesimo went with Andray Blatche, who at that point was more effective. Blatche finished with 14 points and 6 rebounds, leading a bench group that scored 44 points.

Williams spent his weekend in Miami, hanging out at the beach with his family, but it was not an entirely pleasant All-Star break. He was shut out of the All-Star Game for the first time in four years. Then Jerry Colangelo, the president of USA Basketball, told The Daily News that Williams was “overweight” for the Olympics last summer.

The wave of scrutiny seemed to irritate Carlesimo, who said he was “befuddled at everything that’s being made.”

“Deron has basically been the single most important factor in transforming the franchise,” Carlesimo said. “Honestly, I don’t understand it.”

REBOUNDS

Billy King told reporters at the Nets’ morning shootaround that there was only a 10 percent chance he would make a trade by Thursday’s deadline. By the evening, he had cut that number in half. “I would put it at probably 5 percent now,” King said. “I don’t see anything happening.” The Nets have pursued Atlanta’s Josh Smith, but they lack the assets the Hawks want: expiring contracts, young prospects and draft picks. The Nets have offered a package built around Kris Humphries, but the Hawks do not want Humphries’s contract, which runs through 2014. In general, the Nets have few desirable assets, outside MarShon Brooks, Mirza Teletovic and future draft picks. Teletovic has drawn serious attention from a number of teams, but the Nets have so far refused to part with the young shooter from Bosnia.

A version of this article appears in print on February 20, 2013, on Page B12 of the New York edition with the headline: Johnson Beats the Buzzer, Twice, to Lift the Nets. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe